Reflection on Surah Baqarah Verses 264-265

As I sit in my bed exhausted, my eyes blurry from sleep, I wonder why I challenged myself to write a post everyday in Ramadan. But I want to benefit and share my reflections on these verses I happened to read the other day. We all have goals to complete a certain amount of Quran by the end of Ramadan, myself included, but it is nice to stop and think about what we are reading. Especially if we can't read or understand Arabic!

Honestly Alhumdilah to the creators of Quran apps, one because it is nice to have a handheld Quran wherever you go, that includes Athan , Qibla direction and dua in different categories. Two, because shoutout to my ladies, you are able to read it without having to touch an actual Qitab if you aren't able to pray or fast.

Moving on, the verses that struck me are discussing charity, 2:264-265, and 271 and they go as follows:

2;264-O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders or injury as does one who spends his wealth [only] to be seen by the people and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day. His example is like that of a [large] smooth stone upon which is dust and is hit by a downpour that leaves it bare. They are unable [to keep] anything of what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.

2:265-And the example of those who spend their wealth seeking means to the approval of Allah and assuring [reward for] themselves is like a garden on high ground which is hit by a downpour - so it yields its fruits in double. And [even] if it is not hit by a downpour, then a drizzle [is sufficient]. And Allah, of what you do, is Seeing.

2:271- If you disclose your charitable expenditures, they are good; but if you conceal them and give them to the poor, it is better for you, and He will remove from you some of your misdeeds [thereby]. And Allah, with what you do, is [fully] Acquainted.

My last post I was talking about giving back to Palestine so it definitely fits into the theme of that, it is Ramadan so if you are financially able, try to donate, for you, Allah does not need our charity but we are needing of His provision and His reward. Charity benefits both the person who is receiving it, and the person who gives In Sha Allah.May Allah reward you for any charity you do!

I liked how in verse 264, it was talking about how the good deed of giving away charity can be invalidated if you brag about it or backbite or do something harmful while giving to those in need. It is like looking down upon the people you are giving to, thinking you are better than them, or you want to be able to tell the world or your friends, hey look what I did, I am a good person. We are all human, it is nice to receive recognition for your hard work and the good you do, but remember Allah is the one we want to please not the people, because the people can not take care of you like Allah does!

What's amazing about this verse and the verse after it is, the examples that they use to show us how giving charity and our intention when giving charity can affect our souls, it gives us a visual, a beautiful one at that, using nature to help us imagine the affect it can have on us. If you do not believe in Allah and you give charity to show off, you have nothing, just like the dust on a rock when rain hits it, there is nothing left, nothing remains. Just like when we give to get praise, our efforts to give back are erased.

May Allah protect us from showing off, displaying our good deeds for others pleasure and to have the right intentions when doing good deeds!

Then the next verse gives another visual example in nature, a garden on a high area, that gets hit with a downpour or even a drizzle and the fruits in that garden flourish and grow and multiply themselves. This is what happens when we try to please Allah and Allah alone, we know that our reward is with Allah and not the people. That Allah will increase us in blessings and wealth if we are giving for His Sake. You will not be unhappy or displeased when you are pleasing the Creator and not the creation.

The last verse I mentioned 271, really hits home on the topic of your intention when giving charity and strikes a balance between the two examples mentioned in the two previous verses. It says that if you talk about the charity that you give, it is okay, it is not necessarily wrong because you can encourage others to donate and help them be aware of a cause or situation they may not know about. It also then goes on to say that is is better for us to keep it a secret between us and the person we are giving the charity to, because it will help remove from us some of our bad deeds, but either way Allah knows what we do and what is in our hearts.

At the end of the day, in this day and age everyone likes to post what they do, myself included, it can definitely promote awareness and sympathy when we talk about issues worldwide and encourage people to donate and share. Just be aware of what is in your heart and try to keep some good deeds as a secret for yourself! Not everything we do needs to be posted or talked about, let us all check our intentions and remember Allah sees all we do!

Have a lovely day! JazakAllah Khair for reading !